Head of AQA: exams could be online within 3 years

[noblegiraffe]

Colin Hughes, head of AQA has been interviewed:

Mr Hughes said he would support the launch of “national pilots” for “on-screen assessment”, and that it would take just three years to go from the today’s “totally paper-based” system to having some modules on computers…

Computer-based exams would have a range of benefits, he said, such as making it possible to set “adaptive” tests that tailor themselves to each student – getting harder or easier depending on how the student answers questions, to more accurately pinpoint their ability.

Because pupils would all sit slightly different tests, adaptive tests could eventually revolutionise the school calendar, removing the need for a summer exam season.

Instead, students could take the tests on a “when-ready basis”, which would be “arguably fairer”, said Mr Hughes.”

He also says that issues with lack of computers was something that could easily be sorted. I’m not sure how, tbh.

I read stuff like this and think ‘fgs another overhaul of the exams system is not what we need right now.

I also really don’t want kids sitting maths exams on a computer.

inews.co.uk/news/education/gcses-a-levels-2022-computer-based-exams-online-tests-aqa-1308135

I did an online post grad exam earlier this year. I was watched via webcam the whole time, had to show the invigilator the room via webcam before starting and after I went for a toilet break, and while I was allowed a white board for jotting down ideas, I had to show them that I had wiped it at the end of the exam.

The exam experience itself was ok but I had a nightmare getting logged on. It took them ages and then the company invigilating started telling me that my laptop was unsuitable (despite me checking all of this weeks before the exam).

They did get it sorted but it was extremely stressful and I was nearly an hour late starting (the clock didn’t start until I was logged in but I had to be finished in time to collect my kids from school which was why I had chosen and early start time! Obviously not allowed a phone so I couldn’t even contact anyone else to collect them. I just about finished in time!).

Obviously you would hope in schools that it would be much better organised than my experience. I do think this will be the way forward in the long term but kids will need to be properly taught the IT skills to do it. I have one child who is great with computers and one who hates them and would find an online exam very daunting.

Obviously you would hope in schools that it would be much better organised than my experience.

Schools are incredibly well organised when it comes to running exams, they are like a well-oiled machine.

So to exchange that system for one fraught with difficulties and expense would need a really good selling point. 'Cheaper for exam boards' isn't good enough. What are the overwhelming problems with paper exams that moving to tech will solve? Given that pupils with SEN are already allowed to use word processors.

@borntobequiet

I’m possibly alone in regretting the disappearance of the coursework element in GCSE Maths. And the amusingly named Mental Test.

Very much alone. Maths coursework was so terrible it was gone before Gove!

Do you mean the KS3 SATs mental test? With the world's most patronising woman? I loved practising for those, such an easy lesson.

input devices can be purchased from about 20 quids.

Just another 6K plus minimum for each school to find then.

imagine a scenario where all kids' homework and schoolwork is online. and not in the form of uploaded jpgs in g.classroom, but properly done - as data points.
the analysis options (both human and automated AI) would be huge.

Having had to spend an academic year putting all homework electronic online, (not as jpegs but using specific platforms for pupils to type directly in etc.) I can quite confidently say that this won’t improve attainment overall.

1. It strangely didn’t improve ‘hand in’ rates and in my department, we actually saw a rise in late or missing homework.

2. We found the instances of ‘copy and paste’ or ‘copy and paste and just change some words’ rose tenfold.

3. We found that pupils were not, on the whole, returning to the returned/marked pieces of work and reading their feedback, like they would when they get their books back. Each piece of work was given a target to action on their next piece of homework and most would either not bother to read them, would forget them or not action them. To them, psychologically, once they have pressed submit, it goes out of their ‘consciousness’ for want of a better word and were too quick to move on to the next on the list.

4. Which then brings me to my final observation in that this was causing the computer to do all the remembering for them and end of topic tests had lower grades than when pupils physically hand wrote notes/homework/revision. Yes, lockdowns had a big part in this as did mental health but when we were physically in school but still doing online/onscreen homework, this was still the case. I know that there have been some studies supporting this too but to see it first hand was very interesting.

Needless to say, since September, my department has gone back to writing notes and homework in books/booklets, hand in rates are back up to where they should be and the October topic tests for all year groups was back to marks that we would usually expect.

I love technology and it’s a big part of my life and job, I must stress that. The problem with technology as a solution to everything (my annual visit to BETT show highlights this) is that a lot of these platforms and apps are written by non educators, desperate to sell their products to teachers with the primary reason of ‘saving them time’. Very little is often focussed on the educational outcomes of the children. Until that changes, we shouldn’t run before we can walk.

@noblegiraffe

Obviously you would hope in schools that it would be much better organised than my experience.

Schools are incredibly well organised when it comes to running exams, they are like a well-oiled machine.

So to exchange that system for one fraught with difficulties and expense would need a really good selling point. 'Cheaper for exam boards' isn't good enough. What are the overwhelming problems with paper exams that moving to tech will solve? Given that pupils with SEN are already allowed to use word processors.

Children with SEN can apply to use word processors if it is their normal way of working. If your school can’t be bothered with the hassle you have no recourse. Or if they feel the kids should be made to write because it’s a life skill- no recourse. And that’s the ones that are actually identified as having SEN which doesn’t happen very often if they’re not disruptive.

If your school can’t be bothered with the hassle you have no recourse.

Schools are generally keen on good exam results so are often bothered with the hassle of access arrangements.

The existence of a school not doing its job properly isn't good enough reason to overhaul the exam system to something more expensive and more fraught with potential problems.

I got some great coursework out of my GCSE groups. Agree about the horrible recorded SAT woman, but we read the questions to GCSE candidates. Some had already left at Easter so they had to be rounded up from building sites and farmyards and reminded to come in for the Mental Test (really an aural test).

The problem with technology as a solution to everything (my annual visit to BETT show highlights this) is that a lot of these platforms and apps are written by non educators, desperate to sell their products to teachers with the primary reason of ‘saving them time’.

Yes, there are an awful lot of Edtech companies that are actually snake oil salesmen.

Experienced teachers have seen an awful lot of attempts to monetise education in that direction. Interactive whiteboards. Ipads for every student. Much fanfare, quietly rolled back.

Oh and just another thought that anything that goes online, becomes a higher risk for security.

DDOS attacks, hacking and general ‘interference’ from pupils, ex pupils and just general criminals wanting to cause havoc, will become rife as schools and exam boards become easier targets.

The fact that schools in this country often have the most awful networks out of any industry, will not be lost on school staff.

A recent platform that many schools use for GCSE and A Level Computer Science for example, was recently subjected to a DDOS attack and staff who had planned lessons on it couldn’t use it for a couple of days until it was sorted. Very grateful to have not had to rely on that myself.

@noblegiraffe

If your school can’t be bothered with the hassle you have no recourse.

Schools are generally keen on good exam results so are often bothered with the hassle of access arrangements.

The existence of a school not doing its job properly isn't good enough reason to overhaul the exam system to something more expensive and more fraught with potential problems.

The hassle involved for them to facilitate work on a computer is quite considerable, it’s not just for the exam so they have to put a lot of additional resource in. That’s generally not worth it no. How cares if a few students don’t meet their potential? Or just find a way to exclude them from the monitoring. The achievement gap is growing for children with SEN. The answer is not to give a few concessions begrudgingly but to make the system more accessible for all. If you look at the world of work almost everything is now on a computer and yes some did struggle to transition but schools really do need to move with the times at some point. I don’t personally believe final exams are a particularly fair or accurate means of assessment so would rather see a fundamental review of assessment.

The hassle involved for them to facilitate work on a computer is quite considerable, it’s not just for the exam so they have to put a lot of additional resource in. That’s generally not worth it no.

there are an awful lot of schools out there who manage it.

The answer is not to give a few concessions begrudgingly but to make the system more accessible for all.

There's the assumption that using a computer is more accessible than using pen and paper. Cost reduces accessibility.

If you look at the world of work almost everything is now on a computer

Funnily enough, teachers are part of that 'world of work' so are very aware of technology!

This berating schools for not 'moving with the times' as if it's their fault. Lots of teachers and schools have attempted to integrate technology into classrooms and found it doesn't work well enough to be worth it.

Regarding the maths issue , I’ve sat accountancy exams on computer. They are multiple choice (but you could obviously also type a number instead…) and you do any workings on “scrap paper”. It needs some thought into how you deal with “marks for correct workings but wrong result” but i don’t see why it’s impossible.

It's not impossible, it's just very, very expensive.

I wouldn’t be doing my job properly @BungleandGeorge if I just went blindly ‘with the times’ rather than considering solid educational research on outcomes that bring out the best in my students.

One of the more recent research studies on technology and it’s negative effect on recall in pupils using various media (and this one considers what has happened during Covid19 too)

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000169182030545X

There are problems fraught with assuming one way allows for accessibility for all. With such a wide variety of needs, this is the opposite of what should be offered.

@noblegiraffe

The hassle involved for them to facilitate work on a computer is quite considerable, it’s not just for the exam so they have to put a lot of additional resource in. That’s generally not worth it no.

there are an awful lot of schools out there who manage it.

The answer is not to give a few concessions begrudgingly but to make the system more accessible for all.

There's the assumption that using a computer is more accessible than using pen and paper. Cost reduces accessibility.

If you look at the world of work almost everything is now on a computer

Funnily enough, teachers are part of that 'world of work' so are very aware of technology!

This berating schools for not 'moving with the times' as if it's their fault. Lots of teachers and schools have attempted to integrate technology into classrooms and found it doesn't work well enough to be worth it.

Why are children with SEN some of the most disadvantaged then? Why is the attainment gap increasing? Why are so many students identified when they reach university? Why does a high percentage of the prison population have SEN which hasn’t been addressed and left them functionally illiterate amongst other things? Ignoring a problem doesn’t mean it’s not there. I haven’t berated schools. However it was very evident over lockdown what poor IT infrastructure and skills there are. And how there is little support at a national level for cyber security and training. I think it would enhance opportunities and skills to be open minded about change

@ChloeDecker

I wouldn’t be doing my job properly *@BungleandGeorge* if I just went blindly ‘with the times’ rather than considering solid educational research on outcomes that bring out the best in my students.

One of the more recent research studies on technology and it’s negative effect on recall in pupils using various media (and this one considers what has happened during Covid19 too)

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000169182030545X

There are problems fraught with assuming one way allows for accessibility for all. With such a wide variety of needs, this is the opposite of what should be offered.

Why is pen and paper the default? When it’s not the case when they get a job? I don’t understand what is inherently so wrong about considering computer based exams? They’re used in many other areas. Is there evidence that some people struggle with computers in the same way those with dysgraphia, dyspraxia, dyslexia, hypermobility and others struggle with writing? No one method won’t suit all but is pen and paper the way that enables most??

[quote noblegiraffe]Colin Hughes, head of AQA has been interviewed:

Mr Hughes said he would support the launch of “national pilots” for “on-screen assessment”, and that it would take just three years to go from the today’s “totally paper-based” system to having some modules on computers…

Computer-based exams would have a range of benefits, he said, such as making it possible to set “adaptive” tests that tailor themselves to each student – getting harder or easier depending on how the student answers questions, to more accurately pinpoint their ability.

Because pupils would all sit slightly different tests, adaptive tests could eventually revolutionise the school calendar, removing the need for a summer exam season.

Instead, students could take the tests on a “when-ready basis”, which would be “arguably fairer”, said Mr Hughes.”

He also says that issues with lack of computers was something that could easily be sorted. I’m not sure how, tbh.

I read stuff like this and think ‘fgs another overhaul of the exams system is not what we need right now.

I also really don’t want kids sitting maths exams on a computer.

inews.co.uk/news/education/gcses-a-levels-2022-computer-based-exams-online-tests-aqa-1308135[/quote]
What's wrong with sitting maths exams on a computer? DS 10 will have a scribe for his SATs this year as his writing's almost illegible, this would be perfect for him.

Why are children with SEN some of the most disadvantaged then? Why is the attainment gap increasing? Why are so many students identified when they reach university? Why does a high percentage of the prison population have SEN which hasn’t been addressed and left them functionally illiterate amongst other things?

It’s not due to not having a computer for exams (which they can currently use, if they need to)

publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmeduski/478/47806.htm

@ChloeDecker I tapped on the reference but they say in the article it’s a comparison with smartphones only because there is lots of data with computer typing. I haven’t looked at all their refs but the one I clicked on seemed to show an improved recall for the computer over writing. Admittedly I didn’t search any more but what is the evidence generally for computers. I think the predicted text on smartphone is a problem for learning certainly

@Harriet1216

Lots of maths problems require pen and paper working out. You can type an answer on a computer or tick a box, but you can't show how you got to the answer. Exams on computers would have to be supplemented by written work. Unless somehow a whiteboard is involved but I don't know how that would work. I can see an English or History exam working online though, with typed answers. But not maths or the sciences.

I agree. With many maths questions, you get marked on your workings as well as the answer, and in many cases you get more marks for showing the method you used than you do for actually getting the correct answer at the end.

@TheLovelinessOfDemons my kid had a scribe for sats. Our secondary do not provide a scribe, allow computer or anything else because they don’t want to. I don’t think there’s an argument that these things don’t help level up the field a bit

[quote ChloeDecker]Why are children with SEN some of the most disadvantaged then? Why is the attainment gap increasing? Why are so many students identified when they reach university? Why does a high percentage of the prison population have SEN which hasn’t been addressed and left them functionally illiterate amongst other things?

It’s not due to not having a computer for exams (which they can currently use, if they need to)

publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmeduski/478/47806.htm[/quote]
That report is nearly 20 years old. The vast majority of children with SEN do not have an EHCP, if there lucky enough to have been identified at all

That report is nearly 20 years old.

You only read the first few paragraphs then, that do refer to 1978 and 2009 I see.

I tapped on the reference but they say in the article it’s a comparison with smartphones only because there is lots of data with computer typing

Again, you only read the abstract I see. If you want additional research, there have been many studies over the last decade too. I only chose this one because I knew some people (like you have) would mention Covid.

If your child’s school goes against guidance and does not allow for exam concessions for using a computer and a scribe, that’s awful. It’s not typical-I would complain and/or move schools.

You don’t need an EHCP or even a diagnosis to be given exam concessions.

*like you have questioned it, I mean, not that you have mentioned Covid. Sorry for not being clear.